I wanted a picture of a famous dressmaker holding a camera today - but no luck with Vivienne Westwood or Coco Chanel... so here's a famous Taylor instead.
Songs you might find in a haberdashery shop. Unless you're in the US, where haberdashery doesn't mean sewing supplies and accessories, but means men's clothing instead. Apologies for any confusion.
Every day at work, we gather in the staff dining room to eat our lunch, and my colleagues evaluate each other's victuals.
"What have you got today?"
"That smells nice."
"Ooh, that looks a nice sandwich - what's in it?"
No one ever directs a comment or question my way since I always have exactly the same thing in my Spider-Man lunchbag: turkey and beetroot, with mayo, on two Warburtons sandwich thins. A bag of pop chips, sour cream and onion. An apple. A satsuma. A small Hulk lunchbox containing brazil nuts, walnuts and a small handful of apricots. The same lunch five days a week, with only the occasional variation: a bag of Skips instead of Pop Chips.
Whenever Louise and I get together with other couples (rarely, to be honest), conversation inevitably turns to travel. Louise has been all around the world and has the stories to go with it: New York, Paris, Rome, Hawaii, etc etc... she even spent a couple of months working in an Aussie outback bar. I've been to France. Kefalonia. And on the school Sixth Form ski trip, we drove in a coach through Germany to get to the Swiss Alps. I rarely have anything to contribute to world travel conversations.
The only real hobby or interest I have is music, but even there I fail to be interesting. It seems I like too much, and not enough of the right stuff, to ever be considered cool. That's been the case as long as I've expressed any interest in pop songs. I remember telling kids in junior school I'd rather listen to Frank Sinatra than Madness. They'd sing "Roll out the barrel..." to represent my taste in music. I'm presuming one of my wag mates had heard the Vera Lynn version and thought it a good fit. Then in high school, while my cooler pals were heading off to investigate the Smiths and other John Peel delights, I was buying Huey Lewis records and getting into Springsteen. Other contemporaries started out liking pop music and then turned their back on it when they discovered more esoteric offerings. I kept a foot in all camps. As much time as I spend now delving into dusty 70s and 80s relics that even Peel might have only played once, I still won't hear a bad word said against Meat Loaf or Queen or even Jon By Jovi. My refusal to shun the music the cognoscenti has cast out will forever mark me down as someone with no taste.
I make the same sandwiches every day because I like them, and they're easy to do. The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is spend ages thinking about or creating something new. It's lunch, it's not performance art.
There are places in the world I'd like to visit, but I don't feel particularly aggrieved by not having a fully stamped passport. New York, one day... beyond that, I'm happy enough trudging round the British Isles. In another lifetime, with other opportunities, maybe... but I don't lay awake at night bemoaning my provincialism.
And as to the music... I know this is a bugbear I return to a lot on this blog because of the chip certain individuals in the real world and the blogosphere have cemented to my shoulder, so there's not much more to add.
I will say this though... I may be boring, but I'm never bored. I honestly do not remember the last time I ever felt even remotely bored. There's always something to do or think about or listen to or read. Why would you ever get bored? I'll save that till I'm dead...
I chose the late John Mahoney to usher in this week's answers for two reasons. Firstly, Martin Crane's dog Eddie features in one of the clues below. Secondly, I figured he's bring a little respectability to this post... otherwise it's in danger of being mistaken for a knocking shop.
As I said above, if you're looking for White Rabbits, click the Alice In Wonderland link. Here's a white hare instead. Don't give me any grief about hares not being rabbits.
Yes, the kookiness is starting to grate and she's yet to record anything else quite as exciting as Kiss With A Fist... but when I read that "551 people disliked this video beacuse (sic) they saw her waring (sic) earring (sic) that looks (sic) like "illuminati" sign", I was impressed. Particularly that the youtube commenter knew how to spell Illuminati.
Stephin Merritt at his most playful, from the mighty 69 (Love Songs).
1. Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
Just fantastic storytelling...
I was of poor folk
But my mother had a rabbit fur coat
And a girl of less character pushed her down the L.A. River
Hand over that rabbit fur coat
She put a knife to her throat
Hand over that rabbit fur coat
When my ma refused, the girl kicked dirt on her blouse
Stay away from my mansion house
